Pear-Rosemary Muffin Tin Pies
By Camila ChaparroPublished on October 14, 2020
Time
1¾ hours, plus 30 minutes chilling, and 2¾ hours cooling
Yield
Serves 10
Ingredients
1 recipe double-crust pie dough (see Ingredient Note below)
Filling
2½ pounds (1134 grams) ripe but firm Bosc pears, peeled, halved, cored, and cut into ½-inch pieces3 tablespoons packed brown sugar, divided¼ teaspoon table salt 1 tablespoon instant tapioca, ground¾ teaspoon minced fresh rosemaryStreusel
⅔ cup (3⅓ ounces/94 grams) all-purpose flour ½ cup walnuts, chopped fine6 tablespoons packed (2⅔ ounces/76 grams) brown sugar ½ teaspoon table salt 6 tablespoons unsalted butterBefore You Begin
Be sure to spray both the muffin tin cups and the surface between cups with vegetable oil spray to prevent sticking.
Instructions
- Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll each dough piece into 16 by 11-inch rectangle on floured counter; stack on prepared sheet, separated by second sheet of parchment. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until dough is firm but still pliable, about 10 minutes.
- Spray outer cups of 12-cup muffin tin as well as surface in between cups with vegetable oil spray. Using parchment as sling, transfer chilled dough rectangles to counter. Using 5-inch round biscuit or cookie cutter, cut 5 rounds from each dough rectangle. Reserve dough scraps for another use. Return rounds to sheet, still on parchment, and cover loosely with plastic. Refrigerate until firm but still pliable, about 10 minutes.
- Center 1 dough round over outer muffin tin cup. Using your fingers, press center of dough into bottom of cup, then press dough into corners and against sides, smoothing out any overlapping creases. (You should have about ½-inch dough overhanging rim of cup.) Fold overhang over itself; fold edge over rim of cup to rest on surface of muffin tin. Repeat with remaining 9 dough rounds and outer muffin tin cups. (If dough rounds become too soft to work with, refrigerate tin and rounds until firm.) Cover and refrigerate muffin tin until dough is firm, about 30 minutes.
- For the Filling: Toss pears, 1 tablespoon sugar, and salt together in bowl. Microwave until pears soften slightly and release their juices, 6 to 8 minutes, stirring once halfway through microwaving. Drain pears thoroughly in colander set over bowl; discard juices and return pears to now-empty bowl. Let pears cool completely, about 30 minutes.
- For the Streusel: Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk flour, walnuts, sugar, and salt together in medium bowl. Melt butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat and cook, swirling skillet constantly, until butter is browned and has nutty aroma, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir butter into flour mixture until completely moistened.
- Whisk remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, tapioca, and rosemary together in small bowl. Add to pears and toss to combine. Divide pear mixture evenly among dough-lined cups. Sprinkle streusel evenly over fruit, breaking apart any large clumps. Bake until crusts are deep golden brown and juices are bubbling, 35 to 45 minutes, rotating muffin tin halfway through baking. Transfer muffin tin to wire rack and let pies cool for 10 minutes. Run paring knife around edges of pies, transfer to wire rack, and let cool until filling has set, about 2 hours. Serve.
Time
1¾ hours, plus 30 minutes chilling, and 2¾ hours coolingYield
Serves 10Ingredients
1 recipe double-crust pie dough (see Ingredient Note below)
Filling
2½ pounds (1134 grams) ripe but firm Bosc pears, peeled, halved, cored, and cut into ½-inch pieces
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar, divided
¼ teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon instant tapioca, ground
¾ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
Streusel
⅔ cup (3⅓ ounces/94 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup walnuts, chopped fine
6 tablespoons packed (2⅔ ounces/76 grams) brown sugar
½ teaspoon table salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
1 recipe double-crust pie dough (see Ingredient Note below)
Filling
2½ pounds (1134 grams) ripe but firm Bosc pears, peeled, halved, cored, and cut into ½-inch pieces
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar, divided
¼ teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon instant tapioca, ground
¾ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
Streusel
⅔ cup (3⅓ ounces/94 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup walnuts, chopped fine
6 tablespoons packed (2⅔ ounces/76 grams) brown sugar
½ teaspoon table salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
1 recipe double-crust pie dough (see Ingredient Note below)
Filling
2½ pounds (1134 grams) ripe but firm Bosc pears, peeled, halved, cored, and cut into ½-inch pieces
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar, divided
¼ teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon instant tapioca, ground
¾ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
Streusel
⅔ cup (3⅓ ounces/94 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup walnuts, chopped fine
6 tablespoons packed (2⅔ ounces/76 grams) brown sugar
½ teaspoon table salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
We were delighted by the pairing of fragrant, piney rosemary with the sweet, honey-like flavor of Bosc pears in our simple filling, which we thickened with ground tapioca and sweetened with a hint of brown sugar. Precooking the pears removed excess moisture that might otherwise bubble over in the muffin tin cups; it also reduced the fruit's volume, allowing us to pack the entire dough cup with filling. We topped the pies with a walnut streusel brought together by browned butter. This streusel added a subtle savory note to the sweet pears, and its nutty aroma permeated the kitchen before we even put the pies in the oven. While a muffin tin was perfect for creating mini pies, the middle pies were insulated by the surrounding ones and emerged from the oven soggy and soft on the bottom. After testing various options, we found that leaving the middle two muffin cups empty was the most reliable approach to ensure all of our pies had consistently browned, flaky bottoms.
Before You Begin
Be sure to spray both the muffin tin cups and the surface between cups with vegetable oil spray to prevent sticking.
Instructions
- Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll each dough piece into 16 by 11-inch rectangle on floured counter; stack on prepared sheet, separated by second sheet of parchment. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until dough is firm but still pliable, about 10 minutes.
- Spray outer cups of 12-cup muffin tin as well as surface in between cups with vegetable oil spray. Using parchment as sling, transfer chilled dough rectangles to counter. Using 5-inch round biscuit or cookie cutter, cut 5 rounds from each dough rectangle. Reserve dough scraps for another use. Return rounds to sheet, still on parchment, and cover loosely with plastic. Refrigerate until firm but still pliable, about 10 minutes.
- Center 1 dough round over outer muffin tin cup. Using your fingers, press center of dough into bottom of cup, then press dough into corners and against sides, smoothing out any overlapping creases. (You should have about ½-inch dough overhanging rim of cup.) Fold overhang over itself; fold edge over rim of cup to rest on surface of muffin tin. Repeat with remaining 9 dough rounds and outer muffin tin cups. (If dough rounds become too soft to work with, refrigerate tin and rounds until firm.) Cover and refrigerate muffin tin until dough is firm, about 30 minutes.
- For the Filling: Toss pears, 1 tablespoon sugar, and salt together in bowl. Microwave until pears soften slightly and release their juices, 6 to 8 minutes, stirring once halfway through microwaving. Drain pears thoroughly in colander set over bowl; discard juices and return pears to now-empty bowl. Let pears cool completely, about 30 minutes.
- For the Streusel: Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk flour, walnuts, sugar, and salt together in medium bowl. Melt butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat and cook, swirling skillet constantly, until butter is browned and has nutty aroma, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir butter into flour mixture until completely moistened.
- Whisk remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, tapioca, and rosemary together in small bowl. Add to pears and toss to combine. Divide pear mixture evenly among dough-lined cups. Sprinkle streusel evenly over fruit, breaking apart any large clumps. Bake until crusts are deep golden brown and juices are bubbling, 35 to 45 minutes, rotating muffin tin halfway through baking. Transfer muffin tin to wire rack and let pies cool for 10 minutes. Run paring knife around edges of pies, transfer to wire rack, and let cool until filling has set, about 2 hours. Serve.
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